McKnight, Vann among recruits seeking D-I niche

William S. Paxton

Updated 12:51 am, Sunday, August 11, 2013

Photo: Mark Conrad

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Bridgeport Central high school's Tyler Ancrum goes up for a shot in the FCIAC boy's basketball championship game against Trinity Catholic high school held at Fairfield Warde high school, Fairfield, CT on Thursday February 28th, 2013. less

Bridgeport Central high school's Tyler Ancrum goes up for a shot in the FCIAC boy's basketball championship game against Trinity Catholic high school held at Fairfield Warde high school, Fairfield, CT on ... more

Issac Vann, Bunnell high school, goes up for a dunk during a first round game of the 2013 CIAC class L boys basketball tournament against Torrington high school held at Bunnell high school, Stratford, CT on Tuesday March 5th, 2013. less

Issac Vann, Bunnell high school, goes up for a dunk during a first round game of the 2013 CIAC class L boys basketball tournament against Torrington high school held at Bunnell high school, Stratford, CT on ... more

Kolbe Cathedral's #32 Ian Gardener looks for two points, during boys basketball action against Bunnell in Stratford, Conn. on Wednesday February 6, 2013. At left is Bunnell's #20 Claude Joseph and at right is #23 Issac Vann. less

Kolbe Cathedral's #32 Ian Gardener looks for two points, during boys basketball action against Bunnell in Stratford, Conn. on Wednesday February 6, 2013. At left is Bunnell's #20 Claude Joseph and at right is ... more

Two other local seniors-to-be, St. Joseph's 6-foot-3 guard Quincy McKnight and Bunnell's 6-5 forward Issac Vann, might not be on a major program's wish list, but they have plenty of fans at the mid-major level along with Farmington High's Obi Momah.

Kolbe Cathedral forward Ian Gardner and Central point guard Tyler Ancrum, meanwhile, have the potential to play their way into that group of Division I recruits if they can build off their stellar junior seasons.

"They were playing like seniors last year," Bunnell coach Pat Yerina said of the group. "It's an excellent class."

Fairfield Prep coach Leo Redgate might have the lone blue-chip prospect in the group in Paschal Chukwu, but he has been impressed with the area's local talent as well as other parts of the state.

"We are very lucky to have some great players in our immediate area and those guys are outstanding," he said. "In addition to those players ... there are other players that don't score a lot of points but are incredible players that I love to watch, and I'm confident will catch the eye of a smart college coach.

"At Prep, we also play teams from the New Haven area, which I believe has some incredible players. If you look at the entire state, it is a very talented group."

Among the reported suitors for McKnight, who injured his knee in the spring and was expected to be out four to six months, are Fairfield and Quinnipiac, which is believed to have already offered him a scholarship, along with University at Buffalo, Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast, the NCAA tournament's Cinderella last March.

"Quincy got hurt late this spring and so was unfortunately unable to play (in July)," said Adam Finkelstein, who runs the website New England Recruiting Report. "Unfortunately, right now I think we're in a little bit of a holding pattern with him until he can get back on the floor."

Repeated attempts to reach McKnight's coach, Chris Watts, were unsuccessful for this story.

McKnight averaged 22.0 points for the Cadets, who went to the FCIAC semifinals and the Class LL's second round.

"He's a lead guard and very good passer and distributor," one coach said. "He's a really good fit for a mid-major program."

McKnight might be a good fit for a lot of teams with the one intangible Stratford coach Paul Dudzinski says stands out in the guard.

"He's a great competitor," Dudzinski said. "He plays hard and has a fierce motor."

Vann has drawn interest from Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, and Central Connecticut State along with Iona heading into summer play. He led the Bulldogs in scoring (22.4 average) and rebounds (11.5) on the way to a SWC title and the Class L semifinals.

"Vann is a guy that a lot of programs are intrigued with because of his size and length on the perimeter," Finkelstein said. "His AAU team, USAD, had a very solid showing this month, but I think his recruitment remains at that low- to mid-major level and probably will until he can bulk up his frame and prove he can be a consistent shooting threat from the 3-point line."

Vann spent a busy month trying to do just that with various invites to camps, including Fairfield University's elite camp. He is yet to settle on a school.

"We'll see at the end of the summer which teams have contacted him and go from there," Yerina said. "If he has a good summer and consistently does the workouts, I think he has a shot (at improving his stock).

"I want a player to go where he's going to play, and if he can play at a higher level, then that's where he's going to go."

Alex Kline of the therecruitscoop.com said he has not heard much on the recruiting front this summer when it comes to Gardner or Ancrum, but one of his counterparts noted both improved their college stock.

"Gardner had a very solid summer with Connecticut Select and should have picked up scholarship-level interest based on the quality of his performances," Finkelstein said. "Ancrum, who played with the Riverside Hawks, I think he's a guy who has coaches intrigued with his ability to handle the ball and create off the dribble heading into the high school season."

Ancrum averaged 17.9 points and ranked among the FCIAC's best with 165 assists. Central finished 21-5 and won the FCIAC championship with Ancrum earning MVP honors. The Hilltoppers lost in the Class LL quarterfinals.